Gustaf yalley



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. VALLEY. e ELBGTRIG STREETV GAR GONTROLIF'R.

No. 548,599. Patented 001;. 22, 1895.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2` G.VALLBY. ELEGTRIG STREET-GAR CONTROLLER.

N0. 548,599. Patented' ont.. 22, 1895.

ANDREW LGRAHAM. PHOTO-UNO. WASMNGOPLD C UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GUSTAF VALLEY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR 'IO THE STEEL MOTOR COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRIC STREET-CAR CONTROLLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 548,599, dated October 22, 1895.

Application filed December 5, 1894:. Serial No. 530,902. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern.-

Beit known that I, GUsTAF VALLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county ot' Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Street- Car Controllers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in electric street-car controllers. Its obj ect is to increase the efficiency of the apparatus; and it consists in the novel features of construction, combination,and arrangement designed to eect such object, as hereinafter fully described, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l represents in plan view the controller with the top of its case removed. Fig. 2 represents in side elevation the top of the drum and the shaft of the reversing-switch. Fig. 3 is a plan View of a portion of the top of the case with the handles of the controller and switch in place and the current shut od. Fig. 4 is a detail showing in elevation the controller-handle in place.

A represents the roller or drum of a streetcar controller; a, the shaft to which the drum is secured and by which it is turned, as required, by means of the usual detachable index-handle M outside of the case.

B is a disk secured to the shaft ct above the drum and having in its periphery notches b b b2 h3 b4 b5 h6, the purpose oi which will be hereinafter explained.

C is the shaft of the reversing-switch, which shaft is also provided, outside the case c', with the usual detachable handle N, and within the case carries a disk or collar o, provided with notches d d d2 e e. Lugsf and g, extending from the frame h, carry, respectively, the double-acting pawl j and single-acting pawl 7c. The pawl j is provided with a rollerj2 at the end which engages the notches of the disk B. The pawl 7o engages at its free extremity the notches CZ d', ctc., of the disk C. A spring Z connects the two pawls j and 7c, so that, as shown in Fig. 1, the pawl j is kept in contact with disk B and 7c is kept in contact with C. The notches in disk B are so shaped that the rollerjz, carried by the pawl j, can only leave the notch b in one direction, and can only leave h6 in the opposite direction, While it can leave b b2 b3 b4 b5 in either direction; but Whenever the roller jz rides upon the periphery of the disk B outside of the notches or rests in any of the notches except h the opposite end jg of the pawl engages one or the other of the notches e e of the disk C, thereby locking the same, so that it is impossible to throw the switch. Conversely, when the switch is turned so that neither of the notches e e is opposite to the end js of the pawlj, in which position of the switch the current is cut off, it is impossible to turn the controllerdrum A, since the rollerj2 cannot leave the notch ZJ unless the opposite end of the pawl j can enter ter one of the notches e e.

The notch b corresponds to the position of the drum in which the circuit connection through the drum is cut off. b b2 bs b4 b5 b correspond, respectively, to the positions in which varying amounts of current are transinitted through the drum. The notch e corresponds to that position of the switch in which, when turned so as to be engaged by the pawl j, the current is forward acting or passes through the motor or motors in such direction as to move the car ahead, while the notch e corresponds to the position in which the current is backward-acting and passes through the motors the reverse way. v

As shown in Fig. 1, the pawllc is restingin the notch d2, in which position the current is switched on to go ahead, and is indicated outside the case by the position of the switchhandle N with reference to the usual index on the top of the case. When the switch is turned so as to reverse the current, the pawl 7e rests in notch d, similarly indicated, and when it is turned so as to cut oft the current the pawl k rests in notch d', bringing the solid rim of C opposite to the pawl j and preventing the drum A from being turned, which position is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3.

The result of the above-described construction is that the controller cannot be turned so long as current is out oif by the switch, andthe switch cannot be thrown either way so long as current is turned on through the drum. This prevents the possibility of the car being ICO accidentally backed by any inadvertent turn of the switch-handle while in motion, and also prevents the car from being started in the wrong direction by accident or mistake. A further safeguard against accidents or meddling is provided by attaching to the top of the case beneath the controller-handle a disk o, having a notch p, through which an L- shaped lug or hook m on the under side of the handle M must pass when the handle is placed upon the shaft to operate the drum, this disk being so adjusted that the notch p will only allow the handle to be put on or be removed when the drum is so turned that the rollerj3 rests in the notch l) and the current is cut off. A similar disk, as shown in Fig. 3, affixed beneath the switch-handle N, only allows the switch-handle to be put on or be removed when the switch is so turned as to cut off the current, as seen in Fig. 3. It follows, therefore, that when both handles are removed no current can pass and the carcannot move; neither can the drum be turned so as to pass any current until the switch-handle has been put on and turned so as to switch on the current.

By the foregoing means it is rendered practically impossible for any unintentional movement of the car to be effected or for any meddlesome or malicious interference with the car to result in starting it, since it is an inflexible rule in the operation of electric street-cars that the motorman must never leave the car without taking with him the handles of the switch and controller, which with the construction above described can only be done when the current is cut off at both the switch and controller and the controllegr is left securely locked, asvshown in What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination with the drum and the switch of a street car controller, of a disk attached to the drum and having notches corresponding to the operative positions of said drum, a notched disk attached to the shaft of the switch, a locking pawl adapted to engage at one end the disk on the drum and at the other the disk on the switch shaft, a pawl engaging the disk on the switch shaft, and a spring connecting said pawls, substantially as described.

2. The combination 4with the drum and switch of a street car controller of a disk attached to the drum and having notches corresponding to the operative positions of the drum, one of said notches corresponding to mally in contact with the disk on the drum, substantially as described.

3. The combination with the drum and switch of a street car. controller of a disk attached to the drum and having notches corresponding to the operative positions of the drum, one of said notches corresponding to the cutoff position of said drum and being deeper than the others, a disk attached to the switch shaft and having notches corresponding to the forward and reverse positions of the switch, a pivoted pawl adapted to engage at one end the notches of the disk of the drum, and having its other end adapted to engage the notches of the disk on the switch shaft, and to be freed therefrom only when the pawl engages the deeper notch of the disk on the drum, and a spring to maintain said pawl normally in contact with the disk on the drum, substantially as described.

4. The combination with the drum and switch of a street car controller of a disk attached to the drum and having notches cor responding to the operative positions of said drum, a notched disk attached to the shaft of the switch, a locking pawl adapted to engage at one end the disk on the drum and at the other the disk on the switch shaft, and a disk affixed to the case of the controller beneath the handle and having a notch through which a lug on the handle must pass when the handle is put in place or removed, substantially as described.

5. The combination with the drum and switch of a street car controller of a disk attached to the drum and having notches corresponding to the operative positions of the drum, one of said notches corresponding to the cut off position of said drum, a disk attached to the switch shaft and having notches corresponding to the forward and reverse positions of the switch, a pivoted pawl adapted to engage at one end the notches of the disk on the drum, and at the other end the notches of the disk on the switch shaft, and fixed disks on the top of the controller case beneath each of the handles, each of said disks having a notch through which a lug on the handle must pass when the handle is put in place or removed, substantially as described.

6. The combination with the drum and switch of a street car controller of a disk attached to the drum and having notches corresponding to the operative positions of the drum, one of said notches corresponding to the cnt off position of said drum and being deeper than the others, a disk attached to the switch shaft and having notches corresponding to the forward and reverse positions of the switch, a pivoted pawl adapted to engage at one end the notches of the disk on the drum, and having its other end adapted to engage the notches of the disk on the switch shaft, and to be freed therefrom only when the pawl engages the deeper notch of the disk on the drum, aspring to maintain said pawl normally IOC tog

in contact with the disk on the drum, and In testimony whereof I hereto afx my sigxed disks on the top of the case beneath the nature in presence of two Witnesses. handles each of said disks having a notch through which a lug on the handle must pass, GUSTAF VALLEY. and which notches correspond to the position Witnesses: of the handles when the current is cut off, P. PRENTISS,

substantially as described. ROLAND RIDER. 

